Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. A used book that has been read but is still in good condition. Some pages have some underlining/notes but not extensive.

About the book >.>.> Some of the authors began their careers as practitioners of acupuncture. Instead of only accepting the familiar thought and behavioural patterns of East Asian medicine such as resonance (gang ying) or the reliability of sensory aware- ness they decided to actively engage such biomedical notions as linear causality and the need for objective measurement. As a result they have changed and expanded the conversation of the East Asian tradition. Some of the authors were originally trained in scientific research or Western medicine. But instead of pur- suing only the straight and narrow trajectory they decided to explore what was once called the ‘margins’ of healthcare. And like their acupuncturist colleagues they changed the boundaries of the permitted. From their different points of departure each of these authors has become a unique and exemplary cross- cultural scientist-researcher-philosopher. They are solid in their traditions but competent and even fully qualified in an adopted framework. These researchers are bursting with creativity and new ideas. Bringing such individuals together into a single volume is a rare opportunity for a thoughtful reader to ponder important questions with the leading Western acupuncture researchers. The authors and editors of this volume ask both the often-avoided broad ques- tions and confront the details of more focused questions. The broad questions they ask include: why do Western-style research? What is it that we seek to learn by bringing the tools of science to Asian medicine? Does East Asian medicine need the validation of evidence-based biomedical approaches? Who gives the final answer on validity? How can one incorporate the patient’s perspective and Asian medicine outcomes in Western research? How can the unique and often difficult-to-categorise experiences of patients be captured in research? How can qualitative and quantitative research support one.another? (LL)